Agudah to Seek World Exemption of Women from Military Service

The European executive of the Agudas Israel movement will propose a clause exempting women “from any service of a military character on grounds of conscience,” for inclusion in the international Covenant on Human Rights which is currently being drafted by U.N. organs, the London office of the movement announced today.

The decision to take such action was adopted at the recent meeting of the executive at which H.A. Goodman, leader of the Agudah, reported on his discussions with leading Israeli rabbis on the subject. The precise terms of the clause are being discussed by Agudah representatives with the Human Rights Division of the U.N. The Agudists, who will seek British Foreign Office and State Department support for the proposal, point out that a 1951 report by the U.N. on women in public service revealed that only two or three of the 50-odd member states draft women into their armed services.